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Message Received: Finding the Texting Neck Cure

Summary: With the non surgical nose job in Los Angeles, we saw a new era of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures begin. And it’s a good thing, too, because we can’t stop looking at our phones. It turns out something called “texting neck” has been developing. The texting neck cure seems to be the same as the cure for turkey neck: a necklift. But there are some non surgical options that are out there for the particularly young group texting neck is affecting. Those non-surgical procedures use a potent mix of heat and energy to get results.

What Texting is Doing to Your Neck

We all love to text. If you stop and think about it, there was a time when that wasn’t true. There was a time when texting was looked at as kind of a frivolous, juvenile passed-time. Adults made phone calls. Kids texted. Now, that’s nowhere near the truth. Indeed, the opposite seems true: everyone texts. All the time. It turns out, that’s not necessarily the best thing for your physique. Don’t get me wrong—you’re not going to grow a gut from texting (unless you never get up while you’re texting), and it does indeed bring a great deal of convenience into our lives.

But they’re ruining our necks. Indeed, because we’re constantly looking down, text messages on our smart phones are creating something called “turkey necks.” It’s the same kind of thing that happens as you age—your neck tissues lose volume, which means you develop some excess skin. This excess skin, especially in a certain configuration, ends up looking something like a turkey’s neck—loose and waddly. That’s where the name comes from. It seems that the constant downward glances caused by text messages (and, to be fair, e. mails and other smart phone apps—we’re looking at you, Candy Crush) is accelerating the process.

The Texting Neck Cure

You can thank gravity for that. The more time we spend looking down, the more time gravity has to work on our necks. Luckily, there are some things we can do to mitigate this process. Because let’s be honest—you’re not going to stop texting or looking at your phone to find directions. The devices are just too convenient (though, maybe this is something Apple Watch or similar devices can help with). But, because Apple Watch might actually be more expensive than cosmetic surgery (depending on the model, of course), let’s take a look at a couple of procedures that might do the trick.

First and foremost, you could go the traditional route and get a neck lift. Many patients opt for this option because of its permanence, even though it carries with it a significant recovery time. That said, the wrinkles caused by texting might be quite deep and substantial. The problem is that many patients who develop “texting neck” are on the younger side—like I said, texting accelerates that process. And younger patients can be quite hesitant to go down the path of traditional plastic surgery.

A Texting Neck Cure Without Surgery

The alternatives are some of the nonsurgical methods that have become quite popular in recent years. For example, one procedure called Thermage—considered by most to be the least painful skin tightening procedure. Thermage works by using energy to stimulate collagen production in the neck (as the name implies, Thermage is mostly heat). Existing collagen begins to interlace. The result is smoother, tighter skin, and as such, Thermage is a great option for the neck. The procedure itself can take several hours, but there’s no down time required afterward.

Thermage is only one of several options. Another is something called Ultherapy, which functions on the same basic principles, with some slight tweaks. With both procedures, there may be some slight discomfort during the procedure and some tenderness afterwards. That said, most patients find both Thermage and Ultherapy much lower on the discomfort scale than many other procedures (such as a necklift, obviously) and patients are generally satisfied with the results. The key to having a more youthful looking neck, after all, is a skin tightening procedure of some kind. And while the cure to texting neck might be a traditional surgery in the long run, these non surgical procedures can put off the day that’ll need surgery—at least for a little while longer.

The Best Non Surgical Solution

The longer you can put off surgery, the better (maybe you won’t even need it). This is not because the surgery is somehow excessively dangerous (there’s very low risks associated with it) but because it’s irreversible. Once you get your neck lift, you can’t erase those results. For better or worse, procedures such as Thermage and Ultherapy leave only temporary results (measured in months and years, of course). Sometimes that can be a good thing—and you’ll have to get your results updated. This is especially true if, as is likely, you continue to text and look down at your screen.

Because if death (via texting and driving) doesn’t stop people from looking at their smart phones, texting neck isn’t going to either. But the texting neck cure can come in many forms, even if you don’t want surgery. The solution is probably something like Thermage or Ultherapy.